Dear Editor,
I am hopeful. Though I might be the biggest sucker around, hope is all that I have, a huge part of me. It has to do with developments in the Guyana Police Force (GPF), and my vision is for a better, cleaner, more professional GPF from top to bottom. If nothing else, and from this early stage, I must say that the acting Commissioner has seemingly taken a different tack. I do so guardedly because I appreciate the source of his creation.
A young citizen was badly burnt while in GPF custody at a precinct on the East Coast. There was the usual apparent cover story coming out of there that the man burnt himself with a lighter. Here we go with such devices and arrangements again, similar to what knocked out the Brickdam Police Station. That aside, the reflexive cover story, which looked leaky from the start, is now not looking even more shaky given that three ranks are charged for developments that went wrong against that citizen in the wrong place, meaning, in the caring confines of the law. I am glad that the journey to justice has taken its first steps with this quick and comforting (so far) development. I think that the first message has been delivered: there was failure; and I commend the acting Commissioner for overseeing this swift development. It would be more revealing, and a confidence builder, with more charges being levied against those ranks. I don’t believe that man tortured himself. I wait to see more positives coming out of this very bad situation for victim and GPF.
The second movement that impressed came about in the matter of a senior officer now facing disciplinary action over reported ‘orders’ passed to juniors involving the Leader of the Opposition, and efforts at either harassing or intimidating him. This action impressed for two reasons. The first is that such a senior officer has allegedly erred, and has been singled out for public exposure and whatever else. The second is that because it was a non-PPP citizen on the receiving end of the wrong kind of attention from the members of the GPF, I am surprised (and impress-ed) that any action is taken at all. I would like to come across similar developments where PPP faithful are on the other side of what is considered law abiding. They must also be made to appreciate the reach of the law when issues occur, be such domestic violence or serious wrongdoing, as alleged. I make no reference to the matter swirling around a national leader’s head, through the auspices of a foreign news outfit.
Last, I hope this catches the attention of the acting CoP’s vigilant Communications Officers, and that they ensure he knows of it. A man delivering food to me on Wednesday was stopped by a cop in the city. The short of the story was this now ubiquitous ‘failing to come to a full stop’ at what used to be called a major road. The driver was hauled into the stationhouse and the cop commenced his negotiations, which would make the matter disappear, as though it never existed. The allegedly errant citizen’s response was ‘yuall will have to jail me, because I have no money’ which was effectively the end of this shabby story, for out he went. Too often, there are these clashes between law enforcement and the law-abiding, which are nothing but shakedown rackets, which even the newer ranks are well-schooled in. A short while back I had my own encounter with the GPF, which concluded when my response to an identical set of circumstances was (before any overtures came up): there is no way that either of the two of you could stand there and detect a complete stop of no more than two full seconds, and judge that there wasn’t a total/full/complete stop. The matter ended there. More relevantly, I am hoping that the acting CoP is aware of these little subtle tricks that his folks are employing to enhance the terms and conditions of their employment. These also need some addressing and fixing.
Yours faithfully,
GHK Lall
